Extensible coal bunker construction

ABSTRACT

A vertically and horizontally displaceable coal outlet guide is shiftable in respect to the lower tubular discharge of a coke furnace charging truck. The lower coal outlet guide is of frustoconical construction and it includes an upper top cover plate which may be adjustably positioned in respect to a lower plate for the purpose of orienting the opening in the upper portion of the guide with the discharge tube at the lower end of a conical charging truck. The lower guiding portion is supported on pivotal arms and it is confined for vertical guiding movement by guide bars which are guided in sleeve members carried on each side of the charging truck. The lower coal guide extension is shiftable upwardly and downwardly by a fluid-operated piston and cylinder combination which is mounted on the truck and connected to the lower portion through a pivotal lever member.

United States Patent inventor Werner Abendroth Recklinghausen, Germany Appl. No. 801,957 Filed Feb. 25, 1969 Patented Apr. 27, 1971 Assignee Firma Carl Still Recklinghausen, Germany Priority Mar. 5, 1968 Germany P 16 71 354.5

EXTENSIBLE COAL BUNKER CONSTRUCTION 7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 214/35, 193/30 int. Cl .1 Cl0b 31/02 Field of Search 214/18 (PH), 35; 202/262, 263; 193/30 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 997,742 7/1911 Bolz 214/35 if) 1 l 2,981,423 4/1961 Randelletal 214/18(P.H.)

Primary Examiner-Robert G. Sheridan Attorney-McGlcw and Toren ABSTRACT: A vertically and horizontally displaceable coal outlet guide is shiftable in respect to the lower tubular discharge of a coke furnace charging truck. The lower coal outlet guide is of frustoconical construction and it includes an upper top cover plate which may be adjustably positioned in respect to a lower plate for the purpose of orienting the opening in the upper portion of the guide with the discharge tube at the lower end of a conical charging truck. The lower guiding portion is supported on pivotal arms and it is confined for vertical guiding movement by guide bars which are guided in sleeve members carried on each side of the charging truck. The lower coal guide extension is shiftable upwardly and downwardly by a fluid-operated piston and cylinder combination which is mounted on the truck and connected to the lower portion through a pivotal lever member.

I I 33 IO i 26 If! V I I I7 I we I l 32 z I l 24 mi 14 22 -34b l7 1e 20 EXTENSIBLE COAL BUNKER CONSTRUCTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates, in general, to the construction of coke furnace charging devices and, in particular, to a new and useful extensible guide for association with the bottom end of a conical charging bunker which may be employed for directing fine coal from the bunker into the outer cases of the coking furnace chambers.

At the present time, it is known to arrange telescopic pipes having sealing elements adjacent the lower end of a charging device. When the full charging truck is driven over the furnace chambers to be charge, and the outer case covers are removed from the outer cases, the telescopic pipes are lowered into the frame of the outer case covers. The sealing elements are provided to seal the mouth of the outer case from the outside so that no charging gases can escape during the charging operation. In addition, when an underpressure is produced in the furnace chamber, during the charging operation, no air can be sucked into the furnace chambers. Tightness can only be achieved if the charging truck assumes the correct position above the furnace chambers, that is, with the axes of the telescopic pipes oriented over those of the outer cases. This is true both in respect to cases having a sealing element in the form of a flange and which requires alignment of the flange with the flange of the telescopic pipe and also in those cases where the mouths of the outer cases have a conical form and the telescopic pipes are provided with mouths having conical rings which bear on the conical rings of the cases. In both cases, there must be a canting of the telescopic pipes.

It has been suggested that lowerable outlet hoppers are arranged under the charging bunkers in such a way that the outlets of the charging bunkers protrude freely into the outlet hoppers. With such a construction, the charging bunker outlets and the outlet hopper openings are dimensioned so that the annular slot between the two permits the free movement of the outlet hoppers in any horizontal direction within sufficiently wide limits. The bunker closing elements, for example,

the slide valves are arranged in the outlet hoppers. Such outlet hoppers can be arranged in new constructions and new designs of coke furnace charging trucks. However, for existing coke furnace charging trucks equipped with telescopic pipes, it is not possible to modify them to provide the suggested outlet hoppers because the existing closing elements of the charging bunkers would have to be removed in the lower portion and replaced by one in the outlet hopper.

In accordance with the invention, an outlet hopper is provided which includes a closing element in its normal place in the lower part of the bunker and it can be arranged under any existing charging bunker and provide a tight uncanted attachment on the sealing elements of the outer case frame of the coking furnace. The construction includes a vertically shiftable extension part which may be lowered under the cylindrical discharge of a charging bunker of a coke furnace charging truck in order to transfer the coal to the outer cases of the furnace chambers. The extension part is preferably conical at its top in order to receive the lower end of the cylindrical upper part of the sliding valve seal of the charging truck. The sliding valve seal consists of a top plate and a bottom plate, the top place closing the cylindrical upper part tightly and sliding over the bottom plate in order to define an annular slot therewith of a size comparable to the dimension of the cylindrical coke charging truck spout. The lower part is supported in a pair of swinging arms in rocker bearings to permit it to be shifted laterally for orientation with the case of the coking furnace.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a charging bunker for a coke furnace charging truck which includes means for suspending a lower extensible portion below the tubular discharge spout of the bunker on a pivotal suspenskin which permits lateral shifting of the extension and which includes means for sealing the extension in respect to the lower end of the charging truck bunker.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coke furnace charging truck having an extensible guiding portion associated therewith which is simple in design, rugged in construction, and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a charging bunker having an extensible lower guide portion in a position over a coke furnace case constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the extensible lower guide portion in a raised position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a charging bunker generally designated 1 which is secured by means of brackets or straps 2 on a charging truck (not shown). The bunker includes a plate valve having a plate 7 which runs on rollers 4 having axles which are mounted on a U-shaped iron or supporting beam 6. The plate 7 carries a bracket 8 which pivotally supports a valve linkage 9.

In accordance with the invention, a funnel-shaped part 31 is arranged directly beneath the valve plate 7 and it has a lower cylindrical part 29 which terminates in a discharge opening. Beneath the cylindrical portion 29 is arranged an extensible lower part or guide 19. The guide 19 is supported on crossframe member 18 which issuspended on pins 16, 16 to swinging arms 17, 17, respectively. The arms l7, 17, in turn, are journaled for pivoting movement about rocker bearings 15 which are carried at two separate locations along the length of a traverse 12. Each traverse 12 includes a guide bar 32 at each end which is slidable in a guide sleeve 10 carried on a supporting bracket or strap .11 affixed to the upper end of the beams 6. The guide bars 32 slide up and down in the guide sleeve 10.

A link 13 is pivotally connected at 36 to the traverse 12 and pivotally connected at its opposite end to a pin 23 of a doublearm drive lever 14. The drive lever 14 is pivoted at 22 upon an extension of the beam 6. The opposite arm portion of the drive lever 14 is pivoted at 24 to a piston rod 25 which is connected to a piston (not shown) which is displaceable within a cylinder 26. Cylinder 26 is pivoted at 33 to support or bracket 27 secured to the charging bunker 1.

A feature of the construction is that the lower guide part 19 is provided with an inside flange or plate 28 which forms a slide valve together with a top plate 30. Between the inside opening of the flange or the plate 28 and the circumface of the cylindrical discharge portion 29 remains an annular slot 34. In this manner, the cylindrical discharge portion 29 of the charging bunker 1 may be sealed to the lower portion 19 regardless of the orientation of the part 19. For example, the lower part 19 may be shifted laterally to the right as indicated in FIG. 1 in order to orient the lower discharge mouth 20 into a conical ring 21 of the outer case 35 of the coking furnace 37.

As seen in FIG. 1, the lower hopper 19 may be displaced horizontally during the lowering thereof to the outer case 35 when the cylinder 26 is actuated to shift the lower part 19 downwardly in relation to the bunker l. The horizontal displacement of the lower part which is permitted with the construction, permits alignment of the conical ring 20 with the conical ring 21 of the furnace 37 in order to provide a tight seal.

In the position indicated in FIG. 2, the slot 34 between the cylindrical part 29 and the bottom plate 28 is concentric. However, in the position indicated in FIG. 1, this slot 34 would not be concentric, but would be displaced so that at the open slot remaining at 34a is relatively narrow and on the opposite side at 34b relatively wide as indicated in FIG. 1. The top plate 30 may be shifted accordingly to provide the necessary seal, however. When the lower plate 19 is again lifted, it will swing back into the position indicated in FIG. 2. Thus, regardless of whether the charging truck stops directly above the chamber to be charged or not, the sealing between the charging bunker l and the case 35 will be effected and charging gases cannot escape between the two parts. The construction permits compensation of deviations of the axes of the discharge outlet of the charging bunker and the inlet of the furnace case of up to 80mm. In order to prevent the escape of charging gases through the charging bunker, a slight residue is left during the charging operation.

lclaim:

1, An extensible guide for use in association with a tubular discharge spout of a coke furnace charging bunker comprising a generally conically shaped member having a lower narrow end adapted to be oriented to the opening of a furnace case and having an upper end adapted to be oriented around the tubular discharge spout of the bunker, means for pivotally suspending said conically shaped member at a location below the tubular discharge spout with the upper portion surrounding a portion of the tubular discharge spout, said means for pivotally supporting said conically shaped member including a lever member connected thereto for shifting said member upwardly and downwardly in relation to said tubular spout, said means for pivotally suspending said conically shaped member including a traverse member, and a link member pivotally connected between said traverse member and said conically shaped member, said link member being laterally shiftablc between said traverse member and said conically shaped member, said conically shaped member including a top wall having a slot defined therein through which the tubular spout of said hopper is adapted to project, and a plate extending around said spout and traverse to the axis of said spout and having an opening therethrough with a size equal to the size of the tubular spout for permitting the tubular spout to pass therethrough, said plate being engageable over said top of said conically shaped member and sealing the slot thereof.

2. An extensible guide for use in association with a tubular discharge spout of a coke furnace charging bunker comprising a generally conically shaped member having a lower narrow end adapted to be oriented to the opening of a furnace case and having an upper end adapted to be oriented around the tubular discharge spout of the bunker, means for pivotally suspending said conically shaped member at a location below the tubular discharge spout with the upper portion surrounding a portion of the tubular discharge spout, said means for pivotally supporting said conically shaped member including a lever member connected thereto for shifting said member upwardly and downwardly in relation to said tubular spout and permitting transverse movement of said conically shaped member, a plate mounted for sliding movement on and closing the top of said conically shaped member and having a central opening therein engaged with and sealed around the tubular discharge spout of sad bunker, said plate being slidable upon shifting movement of said conical member and maintaining said conical member in sealing engagement with said spout.

3. An extensible guide, according to claim 2, wherein said means for pivotally suspending said conically shaped member includes a traverse member, and a link member pivotally connected between said traverse member and said conically shaped member, said link member being laterally shiftable between said traverse member and said conically shaped member.

4. A device for discharging coal from charging bunkers of coke furnace charging trucks, comprising a charging bunker, discharge means defined at the lower end of said bunker including a tubular spout terminating in a discharge opening, and a tubular extension having a top portion disposed around said tubular spout, adjustable sealing means on said top portion for sealing said tubular extension with said tubular spout, and means pivotally supporting said tubular extension for upward and downward movement in respect to said tubular spout and for lateral displacement in respect to said spout, said means pivotally suspending said tubular extension including a supporting member extending outwardly from each side thereof, a link pivotally connected to each end of each of said supporting members, a traverse member pivotally supporting said link, a guide bar on said traverse member, a guide sleeve carried on said hopper and encompassing said guide bar permitting upward and downward movement of said guide bar in said guide sleeve, and a link for moving said extension pivotally connected to said traverse member.

5. A charging device, according to claim 4, including fluidoperated piston and cylinder means connected to said link for pivoting said link to shift said extension.

6. A charging device, according to claim 5, wherein said means for sealing said extension to said tubular spout includes a flange portion defined 0n the upper end of said extension and having a slot opening therethrough through which said tubular spout extends, said slot being of a larger size than said tubular spout, and a sealing plate slidable over said flange for closing the opening of said slot.

7. A charging device, according to claim 6, including a plate valve located between said discharge means and said bunker, means supporting said plate valve for lateral displacement to open the space between said bunker and said discharge means. 

1. An extensible guide for use in association with a tubular discharge spout of a coke furnace charging bunker comprising a generally conically shaped member having a lower narrow end adapted to be oriented to the opening of a furnace case and having an upper end adapted to be oriented around the tubular discharge spout of the bunker, means for pivotally suspending said conically shaped member at a location below the tubular discharge spout with the upper portion surrounding a portion of the tubular discharge spout, said means for pivotally supporting said conically shaped member including a lever member connected thereto for shifting said member upwardly and downwardly in relation to said tubular spout, said means for pivotally suspending said conically shaped member including a traverse member, and a link member pivotally connected between said traverse member and said conically shaped member, said link member being laterally shiftable between said traverse member and said conically shaped member, said conically shaped member including a top wall having a slot defined therein through which the tubular spout of said hopper is adapted to project, and a plate extending around said spout and traverse to the axis of said spout and having an opening therethrough with a size equal to the size of the tubular spout for permitting the tubular spout to pass therethrough, said plate being engageable over said top of Said conically shaped member and sealing the slot thereof.
 2. An extensible guide for use in association with a tubular discharge spout of a coke furnace charging bunker comprising a generally conically shaped member having a lower narrow end adapted to be oriented to the opening of a furnace case and having an upper end adapted to be oriented around the tubular discharge spout of the bunker, means for pivotally suspending said conically shaped member at a location below the tubular discharge spout with the upper portion surrounding a portion of the tubular discharge spout, said means for pivotally supporting said conically shaped member including a lever member connected thereto for shifting said member upwardly and downwardly in relation to said tubular spout and permitting transverse movement of said conically shaped member, a plate mounted for sliding movement on and closing the top of said conically shaped member and having a central opening therein engaged with and sealed around the tubular discharge spout of sad bunker, said plate being slidable upon shifting movement of said conical member and maintaining said conical member in sealing engagement with said spout.
 3. An extensible guide, according to claim 2, wherein said means for pivotally suspending said conically shaped member includes a traverse member, and a link member pivotally connected between said traverse member and said conically shaped member, said link member being laterally shiftable between said traverse member and said conically shaped member.
 4. A device for discharging coal from charging bunkers of coke furnace charging trucks, comprising a charging bunker, discharge means defined at the lower end of said bunker including a tubular spout terminating in a discharge opening, and a tubular extension having a top portion disposed around said tubular spout, adjustable sealing means on said top portion for sealing said tubular extension with said tubular spout, and means pivotally supporting said tubular extension for upward and downward movement in respect to said tubular spout and for lateral displacement in respect to said spout, said means pivotally suspending said tubular extension including a supporting member extending outwardly from each side thereof, a link pivotally connected to each end of each of said supporting members, a traverse member pivotally supporting said link, a guide bar on said traverse member, a guide sleeve carried on said hopper and encompassing said guide bar permitting upward and downward movement of said guide bar in said guide sleeve, and a link for moving said extension pivotally connected to said traverse member.
 5. A charging device, according to claim 4, including fluid-operated piston and cylinder means connected to said link for pivoting said link to shift said extension.
 6. A charging device, according to claim 5, wherein said means for sealing said extension to said tubular spout includes a flange portion defined on the upper end of said extension and having a slot opening therethrough through which said tubular spout extends, said slot being of a larger size than said tubular spout, and a sealing plate slidable over said flange for closing the opening of said slot.
 7. A charging device, according to claim 6, including a plate valve located between said discharge means and said bunker, means supporting said plate valve for lateral displacement to open the space between said bunker and said discharge means. 